Quiz: How Well Do You Remember Cowboy Bebop?: Zoo

How Well Do You Remember Cowboy Bebop?

ENTERTAINMENT

By: Torrance Grey

6 Min Quiz

Image: TV Tokyo, Wowow

About This Quiz

For some Westerners, "Cowboy Bebop" was their first taste of Japanese anime -- and what a place to start! This series, created by Sunrise Animation studio and first aired on Tokyo TV, has won raves from reviewers and fans, whether they were new to anime or longtime watchers. And just like Earth's inhabitants have spread out over the Solar System, "Cowboy Bebop" has spread from a 23-episode series to several other media.

"Cowboy Bebop" is set in a future in which Earth has been destroyed (an accident with a temporal-spatial "gateway" was involved) and humanity has traveled to the rest of the solar system, colonizing Mars and some of the more terrestrial moons. The Solar System has a police force, but the extent of crime in this new world requires the use of bounty hunters -- and that's where the gang of "Cowboy Bebop" -- Spike, Jet, Faye, Edward and Ein -- come in. Theoretically, they're working together to track down "bountyheads" and get the money that comes from turning them in. However, put five diverse personalities in one spaceship. and there's bound to be some conflict. One of the series' taglines was, "What's a little money between friends? Who says they're friends?"

However, they've become friends to a legion of fans. So settle in and return to the world -- er, interplanetary system -- of "Cowboy Bebop."

In what decade did "Cowboy Bebop" premier in Japan?

the 1980s

the 1990s

the 2000s

this decade

The series debuted in 1998. It's still being watched in reruns all over the world.

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In what future year does "Cowboy Bebop" begin?

2018

2023

2071

3000

The series premiered in the 1990s, but within the timeline, it was 2071. Fortunately for the series creator, he didn't pick an earlier year, as choosing 2023 would make the show dated, sooner rather than later!

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What is the series's nickname for bounty hunters?

cowboys

field agents

mercs

trackers

In the future, bounty hunters are casually referred to as "cowboys." This emphasizes their maverick approach to the job.

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Where does the name "Bebop" come in?

everyone on the crew likes jazz

it's the name of the dog

it's the name of the spaceship

this is unexplained

The crew of bounty hunters travels on a ship called the Bebop. Jazz music, incidentally, is an important part of the series's score.

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What kind of dog travels with the crew?

a corgi

a beagle

an artificially-intelligent dog

both #1 and #3

The crew's dog is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, technologically modified to make him smarter. If you ask us, corgis don't need to get any smarter ... they can already outthink the average human!

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What is the dog's name?

Darwin

Ein

Madoc

Hachiko

"Ein" naturally makes you think of Einstein. This is appropriate, because he is unnaturally smart.

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What is the name of Spike's former criminal organization?

Blue Sun

Intergalaxy Initiative

Red Dragon

Mars Mafia

Spike left the Red Dragon Syndicate after falling in love with his partner's girlfriend. We occasionally see flashbacks to his life of crime with the organization.

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What kind of last name does Spike have?

Chinese

German

Japanese

we never learn his last name

Spike Spiegel is a former criminal who rarely shows much emotion. Does he have a past full of misfortunes that have made him the way he is? Do you even have to ask?

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Which character comes from Ganymede?

Edward Wong

Jet Black

Spike Spiegel

Vicious

Jet Black is set up as Spike's opposite in many ways, responsible and hard-working. He is originally from Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter.

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What is the name of Spike's lost lover?

Carmen

Julia

Stasia

Megumi

Julia was the reason that Spike wanted to leave his criminal syndicate. She is also the reason that he and Vicious, his onetime friend and partner in crime, fall out.

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What is the ISSP?

a chip that tracks everyone

the re-formed Soviet Union

the solar system's police force

the solar system's public transit system

ISSP stands for Inter Solar System Police. Jet Black used to work for them.

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Who is oldest?

Faye

Jet

Spike

it depends how you count

Faye was born in 1994 (wow! our era!) but was cryogenically frozen to save her life. When she wakes up, she is 77 years old, but functionally, 22 or 23.

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What is Faye's last name?

Dumas

Monet

Rasputin

Valentine

Faye's real last name is unknown. The name, "Valentine," was given to her in the hospital where she was kept in cryogenic sleep.

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What kind of ship was the Bebop in its previous life?

a luxury cruiser

a fishing ship

a passenger shuttle

a mining ship

This marks it as Jet's "baby" more than anyone else's. He's from Ganymede, which is mostly covered with water, and he has a smaller craft that is equipped with a harpoon, a fishing tool/weapon.

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Which of the crew has an artificial eye?

Edward

Spike

Jet

Faye

Spike's eyes don't quite match up in color. Often, the series would use a close-up of Spike's real eye to signal that a flashback to his past was about to occur.

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Which of the crew is amnesiac?

Edward

Faye

Jet

Spike

Faye awakens from her long cryogenic sleep with amnesia. While this might seem like a horrifying situation to us, it might have cushioned Faye from the realization that everyone she loved is dead, and her home planet of Earth has been destroyed.

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Which character is almost always seen barefoot?

Edward

Faye

Spike

V.T.

Edward, the preteen girl who gave herself a boy's name, dislikes shoes. This is one of many odd mannerisms the genius hacker exhibits.

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What is the name of Faye's ship?

Aphrodite

Io

Red Tail

it's just called her ship

Faye flies a ship called the Red Tail. It has two prominent guns in front, which make it look bipedal.

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Whose weapon of choice is a katana?

Ein

Faye

Jet

Vicious

No, Ein does not use weapons. Though, it should be said, he's seen as able to drive a car.

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Who or what is Alisa?

a sentient computer

Faye's real name

Jet's ex-girlfriend

a vampire from India on Old Earth

Alisa features in the series's 10th episode, in which Jet reunites with her. Unfortunately, she's dating a wanted murderer. Darn the luck!

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Vicious enlisted and fought in the _____ War.

Phobos

Io

Second Earth

Titan

Titan is a moon of Saturn. Vicious fought there, betraying one of his immediate comrades in the end. He's not a trustworthy guy.

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Most episode titles included what?

a reference to an Old Hollywood film

a musical genre or song title

a Mandarin word

a reference to 1970s television

Titles included "Mushroom Samba" and "Ganymede Elegy." (Yes, samba is better known as a dance, but it's also the kind of music that accompanies the dance).

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What does "V.T." stand for?

Vicious Tenacious

Victoria Terpischore

Violet Tenebrae

Very Tired

"V.T.'s" real name is a mystery for much of the series. It's Spike who cracks it, with a glimpse at her pocket watch.

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Who or what is "Tomato"?

Edward's computer

Spike's private ship

Spike's pet name for Faye

Jet's drone

"Tomato" is Ed's computer. In the accompanying manga, it's suggested she named it after a childhood friend.

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On which U.S. network did "Cowboy Bebop" episodes air?

Cartoon Network

CW

Syfy

Bravo

"Cowboy Bebop" aired on the Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" block. Reruns still air on that channel.

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Who goes with Ed when she leaves the Bebop?

Ein

Faye

Jet

Spike

Ein has become attached to the oddball preteen. Their departure comes only shortly before the series, as a whole, bowed.

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What ultimately happens to Julia?

she and Spike elope to parts unknown

she opens an orphanage on Callisto

she leaves Spike for an ISSP investigator

she is shot and dies

Julia and Spike are trying to escape the Red Dragon's assassins across a roof when she is killed. This sets up Spike's ultimate, death-wish mission.

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Is Spike dead at the end of the series?

yes

no

it's not clear

Spike collapses at the end of his final battle with Vicious. The series creator has said it's up to the viewer whether he is dead or merely unconscious.

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What was Spike's last word on the regular series?

"Bang."

"Goodbye."

"Never."

"Shoot."

Spike, possibly fatally wounded, makes a gun with his forefinger and thumb. Then he collapses, surrounded by Red Dragon gangsters.

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The series director was Shinichiro ______.

Abe

Kurosawa

Asakawa

Watanabe

Watanabe is known for mixing up genres in his anime. This includes his other popular series, "Samurai Champloo."

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Which has "Cowboy Bebop" not been done as?

a video game

a live-action movie

a live-action TV series

both #2 and #3

There are talks of doing both a movie and a series with live actors. (Well, the voice actors are *alive*, but you know what we mean). Both projects are still in development.

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"Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star" was the name of the ______.

animated movie

manga

tie-in novel

video game

The first manga series (of two) was subtitled "Shooting Star." This broke from the tradition of referencing songs or musical subgenres in the titles.

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What subtitle is sometimes attached to the "Cowboy Bebop" movie?

.22 Caliber Destiny

Life on Mars

Knockin' on Heaven's Door

To Infinity and Beyond

In most markets, it was just called "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie." But in Japan, it had the "Heaven's Door" subtitle.

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Where in the series timeline does the movie fall?

before its start

after it ended

between two episodes

this isn't made clear

The movie takes place between episodes 22 and 23. It deals with a terrorist threat on Mars.

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Officially, the creator of "Cowboy Bebop" is Hajime Yatate. Who is this?

another name for director Shinichiro Watanabe

another name for writer Keiko Nobumoto

the CEO of Sunrise Animation Studio

the entire staff of Sunrise Animation studio

"Hajime Yatate" is a pseudonym for the combined efforts of Sunrise Animation's creative staff. It is taken from a line from the poet, Basho.

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